- #1. Use Siri with a Wi-Fi Connection Whenever Possible
- #2. Wait for Siri's Ready Prompt Before Speaking
- #3. You Can Use A Bluetooth Wireless Headset with Siri
- #4. Remember that Siri Works with a Wide Range of Apps
- #5. Siri Also Does Math
- #6. Use Siri to Dictate Text, but Speak Your Punctuation
- #7. Fill in the Related People and Birthday Fields Within Your Contacts App
- #8. Avoid Using Siri in Areas with a lot of Background Noise
- #9. Get Into the Habit of Providing Siri with the Needed Information
- #10. Still Not Sure What Siri Can Do? Just Ask Siri!
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#6. Use Siri to Dictate Text, but Speak Your Punctuation
No matter how many times you're told not to do it, you're probably one of those people who send text messages while you're driving.
Using Siri, you can operate your iPhone without looking at the screen and command Siri to read incoming text messages. You can also dictate text messages or emails using your voice.
To listen to a text message, activate Siri and say, "Read last text message." You can then issue a command like, "Respond to text message" or "Create a text message to John Doe." Siri will look up John Doe's cell phone number or email address (if you're using iMessage). You'll then hear Siri say, "Okay, I can send a text message to John Doe for you. What would you like it to say?"
Speaking slowly and clearly, dictate your outgoing text message, using full sentences. You can also use punctuation when dictating text.
For example, you could say something like this, "Do you want to meet for lunch—question mark—I would like to stop at Starbucks first—period—Is that okay with you—question mark." When you're done composing your text message, simply stop speaking.
Siri will translate what you've dictated into text, and display that text on the screen. After creating a text message, you'll get a message from Siri that says, "I updated your message. Ready to send it? To: John Doe. Do you want to meet for lunch? I would like to stop at Starbucks first. Is that okay with you?" When you hear Siri's tone, respond "Yes" to send the text message or tap the Send icon that's displayed on the screen.
As you're dictating text, you can also use words for punctuation, such as "open quotes," "close quotes," "comma," or "exclamation point".
To improve Siri's accuracy, refrain from using too many contractions such as "it's," "you'd," "they'd" or "should've". (Although in some cases, Siri does understand contractions and translates them accurately.) Instead, use the full words as they're needed in sentences.